'There are many things in western culture that are admirable. But a culture that alienates itself from the very ground of its own being - from the wilderness outside (that is to say wild nature, the wild, self-contained, self-informing ecosystems) and from that other wilderness, the wilderness within - is doomed to a very destructive behavior'.

This quotation from poet Gary Snyder sets the agenda for Max Oelschlaeger's important study of the idea of wilderness. His aim is to demonstrate the importance of the Darwinian idea of nature 'as the source of human existence, rather than a mere re-source to fuel the economy' (p.1) He approves strongly of a reaffirmation of the wilderness in the American consciousness, and along with Snyder he 'announces the opening of the frontier again and attempts to push it eastwards, to reverse America's historical process, to urge the wilderness to grow back into civilization, to release the stored energy from layers below us.' (L. Folson, quoted on p. 275).

This is more than a history of ecological ideas and more than a primer on 'wilderness philosophy'. It is a significant contribution to the question of civilisation and its purpose - in many respects a philosophical, ethical and religious challenge to the twenty-first century.

The original edition of this book was published by The Viking Press in 1978 (I know, because I was its editor), and a very important book it is. I'm delighted to see it back in print, because it got little attention when it first appeared. Few scientists then believed in the importance of animals to the development of human intelligence; now the subject of animal intelligence itself is taken far more seriously, and I'm certain that Paul Shepard's work made a significant contribution to this change.

The Texas Land Ethic is a very easy read. Based on Aldo Leopold's ideas on land ethics with a Texas twist, this book gives an insightful, entertaining view into Texas and her ecological and economic future. Texas Land Ethics breaks the state up into several regions discussing each region, its beauty, its limitations, its problems and its hopeful future. Several issues ranging from land planning to education are addressed and applied specifically to Texas. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Texas and saving her beautiful landscape and our Texas hertiage. I also recommend that every state offical making decisions that might possibly affect Texas and her environmental and economic future read this book and think carefully about its contents. A state wide land ethic taught throughout all the schools and universites could possibly be the key to preserving this beautiful state now and forever.